Stationary infant activity centers, designed to safely amuse and contain pre-ambulatory infants, are a recent development in the juvenile furnishings market. See for instance U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,944 issued to Cone et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,201 issued to Bellows, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,211 issued to Myers; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,246 issued to Meeker, et al. These activity centers use a cloth sling seat, with two leg openings, that allows an infant to stand. The seat is designed to support an infant in the upright position and is rotatably supported relative to its base or main frame so that the seated infant can rotate relative to the base or floor. The seat is also resiliently supported so that the seated infant can bounce up and down. The base can be rounded to allow rocking. These activity centers include a waist height tray. Some have a toy built into the tray (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,201) or detachably attached to the tray (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,246). Some are adjustable for the infant""s size or weight.
These infant activity centers provide a confined environment for an infant from the time the infant is old enough to hold up his or her head, typically at about six months of age, until he/she is able to walk, typically at about twelve months of age. These centers, however, have a limited product life because as soon an infant becomes a toddler, i.e., is able to walk, he or she will usually not tolerate such a confined environment. Thus, the product life often becomes only four to seven months. Some infants do not want to be confined as soon as they can crawl effectively, in which case the product may be in use for even less time.
It is desirable to extend the use of the activity center by making it also appropriate for toddlers. This involves allowing the toddler to move in and out of the activity center at will and providing activities that appeal to toddlers. The present invention meets this need.
The present invention relates to an activity center and components thereof, including a leg assembly and a tray assembly, which are part of the activity center. The activity center can be converted so that the same unit can be used by a child first as an infant and then as a toddler. The present invention also relates to toys that are usable with the activity center. These toys can be converted from infant use to toddler use.
According to one aspect of the invention, the activity center has a tray that can be configured as a closed loop to contain an infant and reconfigured in an opened configuration to create a play space in which a toddler can enter and exit at will. Thus, a toddler, particularly one who enjoys getting in or out of things, can play inside the activity center or interact with it from the outside. Convertible toys can be attached to or integrated with the activity center. The same toy structure that an infant may find amusing can be converted into a new toy configuration to amuse a toddler.
According to another aspect of the invention, the activity center comprises a base or base assembly (base), a plurality of legs or leg assemblies (legs) connected to the base, and a tray or tray assembly (tray) attached to the legs. The tray is configurable between an opened configuration or position and a closed configuration or position in which the tray forms an enclosure. The activity center include a seat that is detachably attachable to the tray. The seat is attached to the tray when the tray is in the closed configuration, surrounding the seat. The seat is detached from the tray when the tray is in the opened configuration.
The tray can have a pivotal joint, which is attached to one of the legs, and allows the tray to pivot between the opened position and the closed position, and free ends that are lockable together to the closed position. The tray comprises a first tray or member (first tray) and a second tray or member (second tray). The first tray has a first end portion and a second end portion. The second tray has a third end portion and a fourth end portion. The first and third end portions are coupled together and connected to one (third) of the legs. The first and second trays are configurable between the tray opened position and the tray closed position where the tray surrounds the seat. In the tray closed position, the second and fourth end portions are coupled together, with the first and second trays each connected to one (first, second)of the legs.
Specifically, the first tray can have a first hub and a first locking joint and the second tray can have a second hub and a second locking joint. The first hub has a first opening and the second hub has a second opening. The first and second openings can be aligned and the first and second locking joints locked when the tray is in the closed configuration. At least three fasteners can connect the first and second trays to the legs. The first hub can be on the first end portion and the first locking joint can be on the second end portion. The second hub can be on the third end portion and the second locking joint can be on the fourth end portion.
With the first and second hubs are overlapped with the first and second openings aligned, a third fastener can extend through the first and second openings and connect both the first and second trays to the third leg. The first tray has at least third and fourth openings through which a second fastener attaches the first tray to the first leg and the second tray has at least fifth and sixth openings through which a second fastener attaches to the second leg.
In the tray opened configuration, the first fastener attaches the first tray to the first leg through the third opening and the second fastener attaches the second tray to the second leg through the fifth opening. In the tray closed configuration, either the first or a fourth fastener can attach the first tray to the first leg through the fourth opening and either the second or a fifth fastener can attach the second tray to the second leg through the sixth opening. The first and second trays each can be C-shaped or semi-circular (complementary) so that the two tray together can form an enclosing configuration. Specifically, the first and second trays can be substantially annular with a central opening when the first and second locking joints are locked. In this respect, the fourth opening can be spaced farther away from the first opening than the third opening and the sixth opening can be spaced farther away from the second opening than the fifth opening.
The leg or leg assemblies each can have a sleeve extending uprightly from the base, a slider received in the sleeve and movable relative to the sleeve, a spring positioned between the sleeve and the slider and supporting the slider relative to the sleeve, and a leg member or leg received in the slider and adjustably mounted to the slider so that the position of the leg is adjustable relative to the slider. The tray is connected to the legs.
A height adjuster can be included for each of the legs (first, second, third). The legs each have an elongated wall having a plurality of slots formed along a longitudinal direction thereof. The height adjuster has a leg engaging member movably connected to the slider and biased toward and movable substantially perpendicularly to the elongated wall. The leg engaging member has a projection dimensioned to extend through the slot and hold the leg in position relative to the slider. Each leg can have a plurality of pairs of slots formed along the elongated wall. The leg engaging member can have a pair of slot engaging projections that can extend through the slot pair.
Each leg is adjustable between a spring lock out position, where an upper portion of the leg is substantially flush with an upper portion of the sleeve and an extended position where the leg is positioned higher than the sleeve.
The base can have a substantially convex surface that allows the base to rock and stowable stands selectively engageable with a surface to prevent the base from rocking.
According to another aspect of the invention, a convertible toy can be a ring loop toy comprising a substantially U-shaped member defined by a cross member and two spaced apart legs, and a connector that detachably connects the U-shaped member. The connector allows the toy to be mounted to the tray in a first configuration in which the legs extend below the tray and with the cross member extending above the tray and in a second configuration in which the legs extend above the tray and with the cross member extending below the tray.
At least one ring member having an opening can be used with this toy. In the first position, the ring member is movable across the cross member and, in the second position, the legs extending above the tray receive the ring member.
The cross member can form a bend between the two legs, and the legs can extend substantially parallel to each other. The associated tray has two spaced apart apertures that can receive the legs. Each of the two apertures can be oval to permit the legs to flex away from each other. Each of the two legs includes a groove that can engage the tray at a periphery of a respective one of the two apertures and lock the U-shaped member to the tray. The grooves of the two legs face each other. Each of the two legs has a first flanged portion and a second flange portion spaced from and opposite the first flanged portion, the spacing between the first and second flange portions defining the groove. The first and second flanged portions of one leg are opposite the first and second flange portions of the other leg. Each of the two legs can further include a third flanged portion formed diametrically opposite the first flanged portion. The third flanged portions of the two legs face away from each other so that the length across the first and third flanged portions of each leg is adapted to be greater than a longest length of either of the oval apertures.
The tray can include two pairs of opposed stabilizing ribs extending downward from a lower face of the tray. One pair can be located adjacent to one of the two apertures and another pair can be located adjacent the other of the two apertures. The stabilizing ribs is adapted to laterally supporting the U-shaped member.
According to another aspect of the invention, a toy for the present activity center can be a toy sorter. The toy sorter has a substantially hollow body configured in a shaped of a house having a plurality of differently configured openings that are adapted to receive objects having complementary configurations. The hollow body can comprise a base portion that is detachably attachable to the tray and a top portion attached to the base portion. The house shaped body can have a door hingedly mounted to the top portion and the base portion, a chimney, a roof, and two opposing sides. Each of the door, chimney, and the two opposing sides can have one of the configured openings. Each of the openings comprises one of a generally circular, rectangular, and triangular shape. The door can have a generally circular opening for passage of generally circular objects, the two sides respectively can have generally rectangular and triangular openings for passage of generally rectangular and triangular objects, respectively. The opening in the chimney can be sufficiently large to allow insertion of rectangular, triangular, and circular objects. The door can openable to access the objects inserted through the openings. The house shaped body can further include a roof section having a front side and a back side, and a reflecting surface on the back side of the roof section.
The base portion of the toy sorter can have securing members depending therefrom for attaching to the tray and the tray can have complementary securing members for intercepting the securing members of the base portion. The base portion securing members can be tabs located at a periphery of base portion and the complementary securing members can be apertures that releasably engage the tabs. The tabs and the complementary apertures enable the house shaped body to be mounted in different positions.
Another toy that can be included with the present activity center is a receptacle for holding an article. The receptacle has opposing first and second pivot members. The tray has a first aperture extending therethrough and opposing third and fourth pivot members that engage the first and second pivot members to form a pivot axis and to allow the tray to pivot and prevent the same from pivoting, depending upon the relative orientation between the first, second, third, and fourth pivot members.
The first and second pivot members can be first and second pivot shafts extending outwardly in the opposing directions and the third and fourth pivot members can be third and fourth apertures formed adjacent the first aperture to receive the first and second pivot shafts. The receptacle has first and second projections that engage the upper surface of the tray adjacent the first aperture. The first aperture is asymmetrical about the pivot axis so that when the first and second pivot shafts are respectively inserted in the third and fourth apertures to a stationary configuration, the first and second projections engage the tray from both sides of the pivot axis to prevent the tray from pivoting. When the first and second pivot shafts are respectively inserted in the fourth and third apertures to a pivot configuration, the second projection engages the tray from one side of the pivot axis, while the first projections clears through the other side of pivot axis to allow the receptacle to pivot and drop the article through the first aperture.
The first aperture can be divided into a first section and second section along a generally medial line extending across the pivot axis. The area of the first section can be smaller than the area of the second section. These sections each can be substantially semicircular for a substantially hemispherical receptacle. The first projection can be a lip extending peripherally around an opening thereof and the second projection can be a handle extending outwardly beyond the lip.
In the stationary configuration, the lip extends over the periphery of the smaller first section and the handle extends over the periphery of the larger second section. In the pivoting configuration, the handle extends over the periphery of the smaller first section, but the lip is insufficient to extend over the periphery of the second larger second section to allow the receptacle to pivot about the pivot axis and dump or drop the article through the first recess. The base of the activity can have a track that receives the dropped ball and guides that same. The track extends between a first end and a second end, the first end being located vertically below the first aperture and the second end being located at a relatively lower elevation than the first end.
Another convertible toy that can be included is a toy wand that can be mounted to the tray in a locked configuration or a removable configuration. The toy wand includes at least one annular ring. The tray can have a receptacle having at least one protuberance that engages the annular ring to maintain the toy wand secured to the tray. The toy wand is positioned to the removable configuration when the annular ring is cleared from the protuberance.
Another convertible toy that can be included is a toy holder detachably mounted to the tray. The toy holder is mounted to the tray as an article holder in one configuration and as a ball holder in another configuration. The toy holder comprises a pivotal body having ball holding members at one end and an article holding wall formed at another end, wherein the toy holder is mounted to the tray from the one end to convert to the article holder configuration and the toy holder is mounted to the tray from the other end to convert to the ball holder.
The toy holder can have first and second arms pivotally connected to each other, each arm having a ball holding member. The first and second arms are pivotal between a first position in which the arms move away from each other to allow removal and attachment of the ball thereto and a second position in which the ball holding members are collinearly aligned so as to rotatably support a ball therebetween. The first and second arms each include a floor portion and a side wall portion that mutually form a floor and a side wall when the toy holder is in the second position. The ball holding members can be journals adapted to engage a complementary diametrically opposed holes in the ball.
The tray can have a mount for releasably locking the toy holder to the tray. The mount comprises a recess and a lock that engages the first and second arms when the toy holder in positioned to the article holder configuration and that engages the side wall when the toy holder is positioned to the ball holder configuration. The lock can comprise a pair of resiliently biased fingers extending downwardly from the tray, each resiliently biased finger having at least one tab or hook that engages the arm or the side wall. The side wall is substantially cylindrical and has an inwardly extending lip to which the tab engages to lock the toy holder to the tray when the toy holder is in the ball holder configuration. Each resilient finger can have a pair of tabs, one for engaging the arm and another for engaging the lip. The pair of tabs can be offset from each other.
Another convertible toy can be a sound instrument and a storage compartment combination. The sound instrument can be attached to a lid pivotally mounted to the tray and movable to cover and open a compartment(s) formed in the tray. The lid can substantially occlude the storage compartment and supports the sound instrument on an exterior surface with respect to the occluded compartment. The lid is opened to reveal an interior surface of the compartment. The sound instrument can be a keyboard.
Another convertible toy can be a sheet holder comprising at least one planar member pivotally mounted to the tray. Each planar member can have at least on one side a cover adapted to hold a display sheet, which includes a photo.